Oman Embeds Circular Economy and Green Innovation into its 2050 Strategy

For nations aiming to foster economic growth while simultaneously tackling mounting ecological pressures, green innovation is becoming indispensable. This necessity is particularly acute across the Arab region as resource scarcity intensifies, especially heading into 2025. Successfully navigating this transition demands robust collaboration among engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers. The goal is to effectively transition advanced concepts from theoretical potential to widespread, practical implementation. A persistent regional challenge remains the significant chasm separating scientific findings from their actual integration into industrial processes and broader societal frameworks.

Professor Abdelmajid Ben Amara, the Secretary-General of FASRC, consistently champions the idea that scholarly output must translate into tangible, beneficial technologies addressing environmental issues, rather than remaining confined to academic journals. During 2025, FASRC’s primary focus involves cultivating collaborative research partnerships specifically designed to ensure practical application of derived insights. In Oman, green innovation is actively reinforcing core economic sectors through the systematic adoption of circular economy principles.

Regarding water resource management, Buthaina Al-Wahaibi, the Acting Manager for Innovation and Sustainable Development at Nama Water Services (NWS), highlighted crucial practices involving the reuse of treated wastewater. This reclaimed water is being channeled into agricultural needs and significant national infrastructure projects. Such reuse extends the lifespan of existing water supplies and lessens reliance on energy-intensive desalination methods. This dual benefit results in reduced financial burdens alongside lower environmental costs. Furthermore, innovative approaches are reshaping waste management, shifting the paradigm away from landfill dependency toward the recovery of valuable materials. Dr. Buthaina Al-Wahaibi, who holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering, emphasized ongoing efforts to convert sewage sludge into organic fertilizers and to explore technologies capable of converting waste into usable energy.

Nama Water Services (NWS) has formally articulated substantial, long-term commitments outlined in its Integrated Master Plan (IMP). This comprehensive plan earmarks investments totaling 11.1 billion Omani Rials—approximately 28.8 billion US dollars—to be deployed through 2050. This financial commitment directly supports the objectives set forth in Oman Vision 2040, aiming to secure water resilience and expand necessary infrastructure. A specific target within the IMP is to significantly boost the utilization rate of treated effluent as a non-conventional water source, aiming to increase its share from the current 50 percent to a target of 71 percent. NWS publicly presented this strategic blueprint during the Water Majlis 2025 event, which was hosted by the Omani-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Focusing on the immediate future, NWS has allocated 666 million Omani Rials within its Capital Expenditure program spanning 2025 to 2027. Of this sum, 453.3 million Rials are earmarked for water supply initiatives, while 212.7 million Rials are dedicated to wastewater treatment projects. The overarching IMP, designed to manage 410 distinct projects, anticipates serving a projected population of 9.2 million people by the year 2050. Notably, the largest portion of the long-term investment—7.2 billion Omani Rials—is designated for wastewater infrastructure development. An essential element supporting this entire ecosystem involves cultivating the next generation of environmental leaders through targeted mentorship and financial backing, encouraging young innovators to devise creative solutions for ecological hurdles starting in 2025.

Looking at the broader national progress, data available as of June 2025 indicates that Oman is successfully executing 95 percent of the 412 strategic programs outlined in its Tenth Five-Year Development Plan (covering 2021–2025). This high rate of execution underscores the nation’s strong coordination in achieving the ambitious targets set by Vision 2040, including its critical environmental components.